The Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee is asking the British Columbia government to send a housing expert to help finish the island’s stalled building and land use plans. On March 19, 2026, the local planning group voted to request an independent advisor to help update the community’s main planning documents before the local elections this fall. Trustees say the move is a necessary step to bring in provincial expertise to find solutions for the community’s housing challenges.
Local officials are worried that the current community plan, which was last updated in 2008, and the land use rules from 1998 are too old to handle today’s housing needs. The project to modernize these rules has faced several delays, and the private consulting firm McElhanney Ltd. is ending its contract on March 31, 2026. Without more help, the committee believes the update will not be finished in time for the upcoming election.
The request for help comes at a time when more water is finally available for new homes on the island. The North Salt Spring Waterworks District recently ended a long ban on new water hookups, but local leaders want to ensure this limited water is used specifically for affordable rentals and homes for local workers. So far, only about 22 per cent of the newly available water has been assigned to local properties.
The committee is asking for this help under the provincial Housing Supply Act, a law that allows the government to step in when housing goals are not being met. While this type of help is usually for larger cities, the province recently appointed a similar advisor to the District of North Saanich in January 2026 to help them reach their building targets. Local leaders hope the province will provide similar support to keep their own housing projects on track.
